Bolo Grenade
The Bolo Grenade is the standard fragmentation grenade used by both the COG forces as well as the Locust Horde. The frag grenade is noticeably of locust design, while the smoke grenade is standard-issue COG equipment. The Bolo Grenade is substantially different from any other previous fragmentation grenade, both in damage as well as even throwing method. The grenade's structure consists of an explosive attached to a chain-like rope that is swung around and released when momentum is gained to throw it. Its targeting system is also quite different since it actually points out a predicted trajectory (the purple line) as well as a finishing point (the distinct purple circle at the end of the trajectory marking). The grenade's blast radius, however, is extremely small, and the grenade cannot damage foes behind a cover point no matter how close the grenade is to them. Therefore, the grenade needs to be thrown with pinpoint precision to damage let alone kill an enemy. It's great for flushing someone out of their cover point, however. Another important use for it is that it is capable of closing emergence holes. The Frag Tag The weapon's full potential, however, lies in the ability to 'tag' someone with a grenade. When close enough to an enemy that you can melee them with a grenade equipped, press B to stick the grenade onto the enemy. The grenade will beep faster and faster signaling its countdown and detonate afterwards. Be sure to dive backwards so that you are not caught in the explosion. This ability in Multiplayer gave the grenade its name, 'frag tag', since anyone who attempted to tag almost always succeeded. People began overusing and abusing this ability, and the nickname stuck. In Gears of War 2 the Bolo can be stuck to walls and used as a land mine. Multiplayer In multiplayer, you do not start out with this grenade, but with a smoke grenade. Players should switch to the Bolo Grenade since it is more powerful. It can force an enemy to dive from cover, making him vulnerable, or be stuck onto someone, with bloody results. Overall, this is a good grenade to use. However, remember that it must be aimed accurately or it won't be very effective. It is also possible to bounce the grenade off several surfaces/walls to get them into hard to reach locations. proper use of these grenades can be a game-changer. Additionally, when attempting to grenade tag someone, you should attempt a flanking action, as a direct assault will no longer work with the update. There is an Achievement for getting 100 kills with a grenade tag called "Is it a Spider?". The name of this achievement is a tribute to the Machinima series Red vs Blue in which Pvt. Donut is stuck by a plasma grenade. When his teammates notice this and tell him that theres something on his head, he inquires if it is a spider. It then explodes, critically wounding him. The Smoke Grenade The smoke grenade is the COG variant of the fragmentation grenade and is only seen in multiplayer. It uses the same aiming system as the fragmentation grenade with the only difference being in its effect. It spreads a large sheet of smoke that cannot be seen through for a short amount of time. All players start out with one smoke grenade that can be traded for frags. The smoke grenade, however, is essentially useless, as the visual barrier does not block reticule sightings and the other team can use it just as well as the player who threw it's team. The only use found for the smoke grenade when throwing one is as a distraction. Throw one, then flank the area covered by smoke to confuse enemies more effectively, however when capturing an annex node while under sniper fire, it can be used in conjunction with quick dodging to throw off a sniper's aim. In Gears of War 2 the Smoke can be attached to walls just like the Bolo and it now has a cuncussive force when used which can knock players to the floor and dissorientate them temporarly. The Smoke Tag/Ninja Tag This strategy is often used by players to haze others. The Smoke Tag is executed by "tagging" a player of the opposing team with a smoke grenade. As they run around, they will leave behind a very clear path of smoke. A once-popular technique often tried by more inexperienced players is to sneak up and tag, or try to tag, an enemy player, and then follow them as they run away for a chainsaw. Usually, this results in the enemy player doubling back on the tagger through the smoke, or spotting and killing them before the tag actually takes place. The ninja tag is when a player smoke tags a downed opponent, and then proceeds to Chainsaw them during the confusion. This is not a recommended move as it has been known to backfire. However if you split the duties, One teammate smoke tags, another chainsaws; then it has a higher chance of success. It should be noted that when used as a tag, the smoke grenade emits several times as much smoke as when thrown.